We arrived in
Beijing in the
morning and
found our
little hotel.
The taxi
driver had
considerable
difficulty in
hunting it
down, tucked
away in a
rabit warren
of hutongs
(narrow back
streets) with
just room for
a car and a
bicycle to
pass. A
security code
was required
to get through
the door but
as the code
was printed
beside the key
pad the
security
aspect was
dubious.
Inside a girl
in chinese
silk welcomed
us and then
fetched
another girl
who spoke a
little english
and showed us
our room. The
hotel
comprised
about 6 rooms
round a tiny
courtyard with
just room for
a tree and a
breakfast
table. The
room was also
compact but
very comfy and
well apointed
with all mod
cons (en-suite
& kettle).
The girl
showed us the
toaster, the
rice boiler
and egg
steamer and
told us to
help ourselves
to breakfast
in the
morning.
After dumping
our bags we
headed out to
explore
Beijing aware
from our taxi
ride that the
size of the
city was
rather on a
different
scale to
Norwich or
even London.
The girl in
the hotel has
given us a
postage stamp
sized map of
our immediate
surroundings
and that
helpfuly
marked the
train station
a few blocks
north. I knew
that I had to
pick up our
tickets for
the journeys
to Xi'An and
Chengu that I
had pre-booked
on line so we
headed for
that. We soon
discovered
that the scale
of the map was
designed for
bicycling
rather than
walking (and
nowadays
chinese bikes
mostly have
electric
motors) so
walking was
going to be
challenging.
We made the
station though
and found the
tickets with
only one false
queue at the
wrong part of
the station.
We fueled up
with a bowl of
noodles from a
station cafe
and headed out
thinking we
could walk to
Tianamen
square which
was worryingly
off our map.
|
 Temple
of Heaven
Looking lost
at a street
corner we were
befriended by
2 chinese
ladies who
professed to
be school
teachers, keen
to practice
their english.
They dismissed
our Tianamen
square idea
and said they
were on their
way the the
Temple of
Heaven and
would show us
the way via
the Metro. The
metro is one
of many modern
chinese
wonders-for 5
yen (about
50p) you can
get from one
side of the
city to the
other. The
ticket
machines have
english
translations
and the trains
fly through
every 30
seconds or
so. Our
journey was
only a couple
of yen and our
new guides
showed us the
metro ropes.
They then
jumped the
queue for the
temple and
told us to
show our
passports at
the tickets
office giving
us free entry
for OAP's- a
trick we used
frequenly
thereafter
throughout our
trip. After a
quick temple
tour we were
still under
the wings of
our teachers
and they
suggested
tea-great idea
we said
feeling like a
brew. The tea
house was a
very smart
shop with us
as the only
customers with
a traditional
chinese tea
service
administered
by a girl in
traditional
costume who
served 4
different
types of tea
in little cups
each giving
different
heath
benefits. She
then very
skilfuly sold
us some tins
of expensive
tea and
charged
handsomely for
the tea
seminar.
£100 poorer we
had asked our
guides about a
better map and
we were
shepherded on
the pretext of
finding a
bookstore
through an
underground
car park to an
office where
the ladies
showed us a
range of
chinese
scrolls and
trinkets that
they could
offer us at
special
prices.
Diana,
realising that
the teachers
may not be
quite all they
claimed to be
put on a good
act of feeling
faint in the
small
windowless
room and we
made our
excuses and
took our
leave. I
think as scams
go we were
actually given
good value -if
only they had
admitted to
being tourist
guides rather
than teachers
I would have
been happy
with the
service. Later
we saw the
same scrolls
at similar
prices in all
the tourist
shops, so the
scam wasn't
particularly
pernicous
(althought the
tea was
expensive and
I'm sure they
got a cut).
We managed to
find our way
back to the
hotel (more by
luck than
judgement) and
I found a take
away stall
selling
skewers of
dubious meats
for a take
away supper in
the hotel
courtyard.
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